Means for oxygenating blood



March 25, 1958 e. w. JONES MEANS FOR OXYGENATING BLOOD Filed Feb. 15. 1955 INVENTOR.

GEORGE w. JONES ATTORNEY United States Pat This invention relates to bloodoxy'genators and'jlia's for its primary object the provision of adevice" of this character which will permit the rapid oxygenation of blood.

Many types of apparatus for the oxygenation of blood have been suggested heretofore. Prior apparatus, how- 6 2,827,901 patented Mar. 25,1958

its

2, A further objectof this invention consists in providing a method of fusing a gaswith" a" fluid' exposing the greatest amount of the fluid surface possible to a gas.

This is accomplished by changing afluid liquid into a fluid gaseous state, or into" small drops;

ever, has been found to be crude, bulky, or complex and to be generally unsatisfactory. The art' has long desired a simple apparatus that would serve to oxygenate human blood as a part of auxiliary heartand" lungmechanisrns.

It is also an object ofthisinvention to"oxygenate'bloodthat might be pumped to and from it bymean's of the human heart. This invention would do the work of the human lung's if for somepathological reason the oxygen could not pass through the lung tissue to the blood stream.

It could do the work of the lungs if for some reason:

device that would be exceedingly effective in oxygenat ing a limited amount of blood in such a way that brain, and other cells; may-be keptalive until medical orsurgical help could be obtainedfon the victim of an accident. Such an accident might be due to asphyxia in which the oxygen system may be 'restored'if certainvital cells are kept alive with a small and continuous" supply of oxygen.

A further object of this invention is to produce a device that will be effective in oxygenating blood quickly, such as would be required to keep the brain and other vital cells of a human being alive, in the event of a cardiac accident which might cause standstill, or fibrillation. In many such accidents the victim can be saved if it is possible to supply oxygen to vital cells until the heart is brought out of standstill, or fibrillation, and made to function again.

Still a further object of this invention is to make a small, compact oxygenator that can be packed and carried in a handbag, such as is used by practicing medical physicians, and used as an emergency means for oxygenating the blood of the victim of an accident, until the victim can be transported to a hospital or a surgical operating room. Many accidents of the type requiring oxygenation of the blood, do not happen where life saving and surgical equipment is handy for emergency use. These accident victims are generally found in houses, along the banks of streams or lakes, in industrial plants, out in the fields, or along streets and highways. The physician who can carry one of these oxygenators in his medical-bag, along with an auxiliary heart, will be in a position to save many lives that otherwise would not live to reach the emergency operating room.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a mechanism of few parts which may be readily assembled and disassembled in such a manner that all parts may be easily sterilized.

Other objects and advantages of the invention is" accomplished by means of such structure and relative an rangements of parts as will be apparent with the following description when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings; in which,

Fig. l is a sectional view taken along the lines 1-1 of Fig. 2, and 11 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing an embodiment of this improved device compactly assembled. b

b Fig. 3 is a cross section taken alongfthe line" 3-3 of Fig; 1

Referring'to" the drawings, a glass bottle or flask 15 serves as the chamber for the oxygenating process. The container" 15 is supported in an inverted vertical position, with" theinlet' and outlet tubes entering and leaving through its' mouth. A cap 17 is afiixed to the mouth ofithe containerf 15 bysuch means that theinternal or external pressures will not causeit" to be forced away from the opening: The neck 16 of the container 15 25 is long. and narrow so the least possible amount of blood 7' is required to'prev'ent'f air bubbles from entering" the opening: oi tube 8, which is fsituated slightly above cap 17L Thefluid 7 in the xn'eck" 16" of the container 15 and chamber S is maintained at a predetermined level by the control valve 9. The" tubes 3, 13,'and stmaybe removed for cleaning, repairing, sterilizing; or adjusting by removing the cap 17, al1 three tubescome out of chamber 5 as cap 17 is withdrawn.

Referring to Fig. 1 the blood entering at numeral 1 is usually treated with an anticoagulant and as it flows through the control valve 2 the" desired pressure" is obtained. Fromthecontrol 'va lve' ltheblood flows through the horizontal tube 3 until it enters the" container 15 through the cap 17 at a" sharp angle" as it turns fiomthe horizontal direction to a vertical direction and continues upward through tube 3 until it reachestlieoriflce" 4 where it is discharged'into chamber 5" in the" term" of droplets. As the small drops of blood are sprayed into chamber 5 the oxygen in the chamber combines with the hemoglobin of the blood, oxygenating it.

After the drops of blood pick up the oxygen in chambar 5 they fall down along the sides 6 and flow from there into the fluid 7. The fluid 7 flows through the opening of tube 8, through tube 8 until it reaches the control valve 9, where its volume and pressure are controlled. From the control valve 9 the fluid leaves the oxygenating device by means of tube 10. As the blood is expelled from tube 10 it contains the oxygen picked up in chamber 5 and is ready to be returned to the circulatory system of a human being.

The oxygen, or other gases, to be used in chamber 5 is sent through horizontal tube 11 under the desired pressure. This pressure is controlled by the control valve 12. The oxygen is carried from the control valve 12 to tube 13, which takes it in a horizontal plane until it enters the container 15 through the cap 17 where it makes a sharp angle to a vertical direction and continues up through tube 13 to almost the top of chamber 5, then it is expelled through the opening 14 into the chamber. The oxygen combines with the drops of blood and is carried down the sides of chamber 5 by gravity until it reaches 6 where it flows into the fluid 7 and becomes a part of that fluid. Gravity, or the pressure of the oxygen in chamber 5, forces the oxygen carrying blood vertically downward towards the opening of tube 8, which is found a small distance above cap 17. As the blood enters the opening of tube 8 it continues downward through this tube until'after it passes through cap 17, then it makes a sharp angle in a horizontal plane to the control valve 9, thence through the control valve 9 to the tube 10, where it is distributed asoxygenated blood.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that a devicehas been produced "as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth" in detail the pres- V cut and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus describedthis' inventionwhat is claimed as new and useful andto secure Letters Patent is:

1.'A blood 'oxygenator comprising a vessel having a bulbulous portion; an elongated, relatively narrow neck aeergeor r r per end of'said tube; a second tube for discharging oxygenated blood from the vessel, said second tube projecting upwardly from the' exterior of the Vessehthro'ugh the closure member and terminating at a point within the neck portion below said bulbulous portion; a third tube for carrying an oxygenating gas into the vessel, said third tube extending from the exterior of the vessel through the closure member and terminating at a point in the bulbulous portion between the top and bottom thereof,

' and a control valve connected to each of said tubes.

2. A bloodoxygenator as defined by claim 1 in which the closure member is a removable cap.

3., A blood oxygenator as defined by claim 1 in which the third tube terminates above the first tube.

4. A gas-liquid contact device comprising a vessel hav- 2 ing a bulbulous portion; an elongated narrow neck portion at a point between its top and bottom; means for subdividing liquid escaping from the upper end of said tube; a second tube projecting upwardly from the exterior of the vessel, through the closure member and terminating at a point within the neck portion below said bulbulous portion; a third tube extending from the exterior of the vessel through the closure member and terminating at a point in the bulbulous portion between the top and bottom thereof and a control valve connected to each of said tubes. 7 V V 5. A gas-liquid contact device comprising a vessel having a bulbulous portion; an elongated narrow. neck portion extending downwardly from and in communication with the interior. of said portioma closure member for the neck portion; a first tube for carrying into the vessel liquid under pressure, said tube extending from the exterior of the vessel, through the closure member and neck portion, and terminating within the bulbulous portion at a point between its top and bottom; means for subdividingliquid escaping from the upper end of said tube; a second tube for discharging gas treated liquid fromthe vessel, said second tube projecting upwardly from the exterior of the vessel, through the closure member and terminating at a point within the neck portion below said bulbulous portion; a third tube for carrying treating gas into the vessel, said third tube extending from k the exterior ofv the vessel through the closure member and terminating at a point in the bulbulous portion between the top and bottom thereof and a control valve connected to each of said tubes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 163 cited.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,827,901 March 25, 1958 George W. Jones It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 3, lines 16, 23, 29 33 40 and 45, and column 4:, lines 6, 8, 12, 18, 25, and 28, r bulbul d bulb or ous rea 0us-.

Signed and sealed this 28th day of April 1959.

Attest= T. B. MORROW, ROBERT C. WATSON, Attestz'ng Offiaer. Oonwm'ssz'oner of Patents. 

